25th Wedding Anniversary
For a long time, the museum at the center of Zootopia used to be just a simple, biological institute with several exhibits on the ancient history of its inhabitants. But over the years, the museum was eventually turned into a fancy place that showed bits of the city´s old culture throughout its whole history, and not just it´s natural history. It was eventually considered as one of the most exquisite place in all of the city´s districts. Now, two mammals that had first visited the museum many years ago were paying it a visit again. They were Judy and Nick Hopps, the heroes of Zootopia who outwitted the power-hungry mastermind Bellwether there during the Nighthowler crisis, when the museum wasn´t such a fine place yet. Much later, the fox and the rabbit were going to the museum that they hadn´t seen for years. And it was a special occasion for it too. Judy and Nick had also been married for 25 years, and decided to celebrate their wedding anniversary with a visit there, as well as with a romantic dinner at the museum´s restaurant. The fox had agreed to his wife´s suggestion, for it was the place where their first success as cops had happened. The timing for it was right too. Even though Judy was now the chief of the ZPD, she decided to take a day off from the force during this occasion, letting Fangmayer´s nephew take care of the precinct during her absence. Her and Nick´s children were already teenagers at this point, so they didn´t need a sitter either. It would be just the two of them having fun at the museum. Currently, Nick and Judy were climbing up the stairs to the foyer, full of ancient pieces of culture. Nick wore his simple black suit while Judy had a lovely pink dress similar in color to her shirt. Even though the two were now in their 50s already, both of them were still very attractive by mammal standards. The husband and wife walked hand in hand as they admired the artifacts that were on display. “Look Nick, some ancient jewelry from Sahara Square´s past. Thousands of years old and they still look great”, Judy looked at one exhibit. Nick leaned closer and looked at them too. “Indeed. Some things age gracefully…especially you. You´re still very beautiful in your fifties, just like your mother”, Nick smiled at his wife. Judy didn´t look too different from the meter maid he met years ago, except a bit more motherly both personality- and appearance-wise. Judy felt flattered. “Some charming foxes don´t show any signs of getting rusty either”, she said in her sweet voice. They kept on looking through the museum exhibits, seeing things like shock collars from six decades ago, technology from the 19th century and even some fossils of non-mammal animals that didn´t exist anymore. At the edge of the museum, however, they found something very familiar. It was stuff from the more recent years, with a mention of the Nighthowler crisis. There was even a photo of the ZPD during that era with Judy in it, and the description mentioned her being the hero who solved the case. “Ah, the case that started it all and brought us together. It may not be biggest event in the city´s history, but it is surely to us. Full of memories, some painful, some joyful…but what it started was truly something beautiful”, Nick felt very nostalgic. Judy felt a little misty in her eyes too. She could still see all these moments with her very own eyes. All of it was a part of a larger experience the rabbit would never forget. “The birth of a symbol. A symbol of love between predator and prey”, she said as the two moved on. Passing the museum´s famous mammoth warrior statue, Judy and Nick arrived to the top floor via an elevator, where the restaurant was located. They came there just in time as they intended to. “A table for two. Mr and Mrs. Hopps”, Nick went to the meerkat waiter, who checked their reservations right before leading them to the table. Judy really liked the place they were eating at the moment, with its chandeliers, 40s style furniture and romantic music playing near the dance floor. Whenever it was her turn to pick the wedding anniversary location, she always wanted to have a location like this for dinner. For starters, Nick had some snails with garlic while Judy had some mushroom soup. Even though these were gourmet meals, they weren´t too expensive for them. “25 years as your husband so far….it has been the best time of my life. Without those years, I don´t think my life would´ve been so good as it is now”, Nick said, looking Judy in the eyes. “I know, my dear. I´m glad I got to help someone who had faced so much fear and hate in his life to start a new, better life after all those terrible moments. You were always such a tough, loyal and caring friend who never let me down. It´s great that our children have inherited those traits from you too”, Judy looked warmly at her husband. Nick felt honored as she said those words. Judy had been so good to him as a wife during all those years, and as a mother she was truly wonderful. In her heart there was only room for him and all seven of their little ones. Soon, their main courses came too. Nick ate his hearty dish of rotisserie chicken with chips as Judy had the best lentil salad in the house. They ate with pleasure underneath the chandelier. “Impressive how our first wedding anniversary was such a long time ago, yet it feels like it happened only yesterday. You´re still the same darling fox I got happily married with”, Judy said as Nick held her paw, which still had the ring in it. The fox nodded. Even though a lot had changed during those years, like with Judy becoming a the ZPD chief and having children, deep down she too was still the same girl of Nick´s dreams he knew back then. The rabbit that conquered the fox´s heart. “And our relationship is still just as healthy as it was when we got married. I have a good feeling that will last for a lifetime, considering it has only gotten better during the years”, Nick thought. “I´m sure of that too, my dear”, Judy was delighted by the idea. The handsome fox was the only mammal she wanted to share the later years of her life with. For dessert, they shared a chocolate cake with ice cream for two, which they found fitting for the wedding anniversary. Nick and Judy often loved to order those kinds of desserts that they could share like a proper couple, especially during Valentine´s Days. They even loved to feed each other from spoons, which they did now too. When Nick was about to give Judy the last piece, he leaned closer to her cheek and kissed her at the same time, causing her to giggle. “A dessert isn´t a proper dessert without icing on the cake”, the fox joked. “Oh Nick…you never change”, Judy kept on laughing. In a few minutes, they finished their meal as usual, and paid the waiter. There was only one thing left to do for the evening, and Nick knew what it was, as he looked at the dance floor. “Shall we, ma´am?” he took her by the paw. Judy was utterly delighted by the suggestion. She could never refuse that offer. “Of course, Nick”, she kissed Nick just as amorously as she did during her younger years. The romantic in her wouldn´t fade away so easily. Nick and Judy just kept dancing there together in the floor in the tune of some beautiful instrumental music. A soothing feeling had filled her heart as Nick kept his paw on the small of her back while holding her paw. In the whole world, there were only two places where Judy would feel happier than any living mammal in the city. They were being close to her children and being in the arms of her husband, which was where she was now. The beautiful middle-aged doe was so thankful to him for such a nice wedding anniversary yet again. “Whether at work or among my family, the life I´ve shared with you has been worth it”, Judy whispered. Not even all the hardships they had faced during their life had changed anything, for Nick and Judy always stayed together through thick and thin. As the dance ended, she peacefully rested her head against Nick´s shoulder, who petted her lovingly. The fox felt equally happy at that moment as she did. Years would pass, their children would move on and the two would grow old, but the love between the rabbit and the fox would live on for a lifetime. Category:Oneshots Category:WildeHopps stories Category:NickXJudy Category:Wedding anniversary stories Category:Nick and Judy's married years Category:Fanon Category:Stories Category:Stories where Nick and Judy are middle-aged Category:Romantic fics Category:Fanon stories Category:What if-scenarios